10 charged in Cheltenham High School football hazing investigation; coaches accused of hiding assaults
By Joe Brandt, Laura Fay, Ross DiMattei, Sean Tallant
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CHELTENHAM, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Ten people are facing charges after a 15-year-old Cheltenham High School student was assaulted twice in the locker room last year, Montgomery County officials announced Wednesday.
Four coaches — Terence Tolbert, 55, of Elkins Park; associate head coach Darian “DJ” McFadden, 42, of Roslyn, Pennsylvania; assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III, 45, of Cheltenham; and volunteer coach Ralph Burnley, 60, of Elkins Park — are charged with endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to do so for trying to cover up the assault, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.
Two football players who were 18 years old at the time of the assaults are also charged. Isaiah Simpson, of Cheltenham, is charged with simple assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and other counts, according to the DA. Josiah Peeler, of Cheltenham, is charged with false swearing for allegedly lying to law enforcement.
Four other players who were under 18 at the time of the incidents also face charges in the juvenile system, so they will not be named publicly.
On Thursday, an adult charged in the case turned themselves in. Their identity has not been publicly released at this time and we’re working to learn more.
The charges come after a lengthy investigation by the Montgomery County Investigating Grand Jury that included testimony from more than 25 witnesses.
“This was mishandled on a lot of different levels, and it took the Montgomery County Grand Jury a long period of time to get this to where we knew [what] the facts in this case are,” Steele said.
The grand jury found that multiple players were in the locker room at the time of both assaults, and the incidents came amid ongoing issues between the victim and other players.
Two of the players facing charges in juvenile court allegedly recorded the first assault on Aug. 15, 2025, and shared the video with others, then deleted it, the DA said. The videos showed multiple players restraining the 15-year-old victim while another of the juvenile suspects poked him with a broomstick.
The second incident happened on Sept. 3, 2025. On that day, Simpson and other players are accused of kicking and stomping the victim and again poking him with a broomstick. Investigators have not found video of this second assault.
No coaches were in the locker room during either incident, the DA said.
After the second attack, Steele said, the victim told Burnley, who was giving him a ride home, that he had been “jumped” in the locker room and had an injury to his genital area. Cellphone records show Burnley told the other coaches right away, and McFadden and Tolbert told the victim not to tell his mother about the incidents, the DA said during a press conference. The coaches also did not contact school administrators, he said.
Evidence shows the coaches discussed concerns that the assault would jeopardize the season and wanted to handle it internally.
“The assaults on this victim were not the typical goofing around by teammates or horseplay, as some of the coaches in this case called it. They were crimes,” Steele said.
The victim was taken to urgent care on Sept. 8, 2025, and was diagnosed with a contusion to his penis.
The victim’s mother learned of the second incident a few days after it happened from a family member who heard about it from other parents, and school administrators learned about it on Sept. 18 through an anonymous report on the Safe2Say app.
Cheltenham officials then contacted police and suspended the season on Oct. 17. They canceled the remainder of the 2025 season on Oct. 19, citing hazing allegations.
The school also canceled the 2026 football season because of the investigation. It will field a ninth-grade team this year, officials said.
In a letter to the community, Cheltenham Superintendent of Schools Brian W. Scriven said district officials appreciate that “those responsible are being held accountable through the criminal justice system.” The district has cut ties with every member of the football coaching staff in light of the investigation, Scriven said.
District officials will continue to review and strengthen safety procedures ahead of the new school year.
The grand jury also issued a report recommending state legislators change the law to make hazing an offense that mandated reporters must report. In the letter to families, Scriven said the district supports this recommendation and believes legislators could go even farther, as not all student-on-student assaults are considered hazing.
Officials have informed the 10 suspects that they are facing charges, and many of them are making arrangements to turn themselves in.
Parents have previously told CBS News Philadelphia they were frustrated by the investigation, saying their children were being viewed with suspicion by college recruiters despite not being involved in the assault.
In a message to parents in January, Scriven said about 19 students witnessed the Sept. 3, 2025, assault and made no attempts to stop it.
You can watch Steele’s full news conference about the investigation on CBS Philadelphia’s YouTube channel.
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